The Piano Man
by 2-huge-tiva-shippers-and-mary
Summary: It takes him less than a split second to register his legs moving or his hands shoving Nell out of the way. It takes him less than that to feel the bullet make contact with his torso- excruciating pain spreading all over his chest. It takes his brain even less than that to register Nell shouting his name, just before darkness claims him.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone! **

**I'm back with my next story. My plan for this one is to make it a multi-chapter story - up to 5 chapters at most - but I wanted to upload this just to see if you guys are interested.**

**I would also like to thank my friend Quen for giving me the idea for this story, for motivating me to finally write it and for being my beta. ****This story is dedicated to her.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own NCIS Los Angeles because if I did, this would have been an actual episode and not just a friction of my imagination.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Friday night and Nell and Eric are still undercover at an Italian restaurant. Her as a waitress and him as the entertainer, playing the piano.

A little over a week into the op and they have yet to catch a brake in the case. Not that Nell is complaining though because it's been a week of listening to Eric singing love songs which she's now come to realise are all dedicated to her as every time she looks his way she finds him staring right back at her.

And for those seconds that they lock eyes its like they're the only ones present in the room - customers and fellow "coworkers" fading into the background.

It's like he's willing her to understand his feelings for her.

And Nell is not a stupid girl - she knows exactly what it is that Eric is trying to tell her - she just doesn't want him to know that because it would distract both of their attention from the mission, putting their lives and the case at risk.

She shakes her head trying to chase those thoughts away. She smiles at Kensi and Deeks and sets the plates full of food on their reserved table.

It's their second time undercover as a happy couple. They seem less awkward than the first time they had dinner at the restaurant. The fact that Deeks acted on his feelings for Kensi after their first case related "date" might have helped smooth things between them.

It's not a secret that the junior agent and the LAPD detective have feelings for each other. They've actually been the main subject of office gossip for the past 5 years and there's even a betting pool going on around on whether will they or won't they get together.

It also goes without saying that it's Hetty who has won all these past years but that's going to change this year - Nell knows for sure that the status between the two partners' relationship has changed.

It was after their first "date" that Kensi came banging on Nell's door just as she was about to head to bed. She listened patiently to her friend as she told her the story of how Deeks finally declared his love for her.

Once they left the restaurant and debriefed Hetty, he suggested that they take a walk on the beach. After an awkward car ride and almost half a mile of walking Deeks finally gathered enough courage and spoke up, changing Kensi's entire life.

As expected, she freaked out and fled the beach immediately, leaving a heartbroken devastated Deeks behind.

She spent half an hour driving aimlessly around, trying to clear her mind when she ended up in front of Nell's apartment. Talking to someone who wasn't Deeks sounded like a good idea.

It took Nell three pints of ice cream to convince her friend to find Deeks and sort things out between them for once and for all. The following day they all noticed their matching wide smiles and lingering glances but chose to ignore them for the sake of their own sanity.

Going back to her job, Nell refilled their wine glasses and made her way back to the kitchen but not before stealing a glance at Eric.

Eric is ready to call it a night.

He's hungry, his finger hurt like hell from playing the piano for 3 hours straight, he's in need of a bathroom break and if he has to watch another businessman flirt with Nell, he's going to punch him in the face, mission and national security be damned.

The only thing that keeps him going are the warm smiles that Nell gives him every time she passes by his piano or when he plays a rather romantic song and their eyes lock.

Eric is a shy and awkward man with an awful track record with women but he's who is hopelessly in love with his best friend and partner.

The only problem being that, said friend is crazy smart, very beautiful and independent, leaving him to hide his feelings behind awkward flirting and acts of jealousy.

With this mission though, he gets the chance to express them and if the way her lips curl into a smile and her cheeks grow a deep crimson are any indication, she's probably getting the message that he's trying to pass on.

He just wishes for the op to be over do that they can talk. He soon has to stop his train of thoughts because he's in the middle of an operation - an operation that goes south a few seconds later.

* * *

Eric sees it first.

The reflection of metal against the restaurant's dim lights, followed by a series of distinctive loud bangs.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spots Kensi and Deels duck for cover behind their table before getting in position to shoot back.

All of his instincts shout at him to hide behind the piano and wait for the shootout to be over. He can't do that, not when all of these people are in danger, so he lets his basic NCIS training kick in.

He takes cover behind the piano while searching for Nell. He finds her not 10 feet away shooting at the general direction of where most of the enemy bullets are coming from. She's saying something but he can't hear anything over the sound of rapid gunshots and screams and their comm connection seems to not be working.

Suddenly, he feels his stomach drop- it has nothing to do with his hunger or the adrenaline currently coursing through his veins.

No, he's feeling uneasy because he sees one of the bad guys train his gun at Nell and slowly pull the trigger.

From that moment on, everything happens in slow motion. Nell turns around to look at the man that he's staring at, her eyes widening when she realises that the bullet is meant for her.

It takes him less than a split second to register his legs moving or his hands shoving Nell out of the way.

It takes him less than that to feel the bullet make contact with his torso- excruciating pain spreading all over his chest.

It takes his brain even less than that to register Nell shouting his name, just before darkness claims him.

* * *

**So what do you guys think? ****Love it, hate it? ****Should I continue it? Feel free to share your opinion.**

**Until next time**

**~F**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello my wonderful readers. I'm blown away by your amazing response to this story. I would like to thank each and every one of you for reading, following and reviewing. Special thanks to Quen who is responsible for 'The Piano Man' and who is also my beta. **

**I hope that you guys stick around for the rest of this fic. This was supposed to be posted last week but my laptop was acting crazy and deleted the whole chapter so I had to rewrite it. I write as I go so I'm afraid the updates aren't going to be very frequent but I'll try. **

**Now I'm off to do my math homework.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own NCIS LOS ANGELES or it's characters. What I do own is my mistakes which are plenty as English is neither my first nor my second language.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_8 Days Earlier _

Deeks jams his surf board on the sand and grabs his towel to dry the salty water off of his body and scans the people crowding Venice Beach in search of Kensi.

It has become a little routine of theirs. He goes surfing, she picks him up, they drive to his place so that he can shower and change and after they grab some breakfast, they head to work.

They never agreed to any of this. It just happened like many other things between them did. Things that they never talk about or even acknowledge. Things that consume his dreams during the night and his thoughts during the day.

He stops himself from wandering further into dangerous territory such as the image of him teaching surfing to a little boy with blue eyes and brown curls while Kensi watches them from the shore alongside to Monty.

He glances down at his wristwatch for what might be the 10th time. She's 15 minutes late, something that doesn't happen often as she always like to be on time even if she's meeting him or the team.

He decides to get an ice cream to pass the time, all the while checking his surroundings as if Kensi will suddenly appear and yell at him for eating without sharing his food with her. 10 minutes later she's nowhere to be seen, he calls her number but it goes straight to voice mail.

_Weird,_ he thinks.

The cop in him starts going through all the worst case scenarios and various images pop in his head: Kensi tied to a chair and being tortured for information, her SRX turned into a ball of metal after an accident, her bloodied, broken body laying in a ditch on the side of the road.

Every unanswered phone call and text message is like a punch to the gut. "Now is probably a good time to start panicking, Marty", he mutters to himself as he calls Callen to come and pick him up.

When the team leader arrives, he almost crashes into Deeks.

"Shit, Deeks. I almost ran you over. What's wrong with you?"

"Not me, Kensi. She hasn't showed up like we planned and she isn't picking up her phone."

"Maybe she doesn't want to see your face first thing in the morning anymore."

"I'm being serious here Callen."

"Ok, how about you call OPS and have Eric look for her."

* * *

"Eric, what do you have?"

"Her cell is turned off at the moment but I managed to pinpoint her last location 10 miles away from Venice Beach."

"That's impossible. We would have seen her." Callen says.

"You didn't see her because she didn't take the freeway like you guys."

"What about traffic cams?"

"Lost her 4 miles before her last known location." Nell replied.

"What you're telling me is that you have nothing. That you can find the hideout of a terrorist but not Kensi."

"Deeks you need to calm down man." Sam says.

"Calm down? How can I calm down when my partner is missing and God knows what's happened to her?", he shouts, hopelessness and fear taking over him.

"Mr Deeks, Miss Jones and Mr Beale have done everything they could possibly do. Now, I'm afraid we'll have to wait."

"Or not." Nell says.

"What do you mean?" Deeks asks her.

"I can't believe that I didn't think of this before."

"What is it Nell?" Callen asks, trying to make sense of what she's saying.

"I can track her car's GPS."

"This doesn't make sense", they hear her say after a couple of minutes of typing on her tablet.

"What now?" Deeks asks.

"The GPS shows that her car is parked outside the Mission."

Deeks is pushing through the automatic doors and sprinting down the stairs when he sees Kensi putting her bag on her desk.

Kensi barely has time to greet him before she is embraced by his strong arms. She's so taken aback from his action that she trips over her feet but Deeks steadies her by crashing her to his chest.

"You're ok." he whispers in her hair, over and over again. Kensi not being one for public displays of affection, tries to pull away from his embrace but he only tightens the grip that he has on her waist.

After a few seconds he moves back and Kensi expects him to fully pull himself away but he just changes the position of his hands from circling her waist to cradling her face.

"Please, don't ever scare me like that Kens. Never. Promise me."

"I would if I knew what you're talking about."

"For disappearing on me like that and not picking up your phone. I thought that something had happened to you."

"I'm a big girl, Deeks. I can take care of myself."

"I know that but it doesn't stop me from worrying about you. I can't lose you."

The last sentence is barely above a whisper but their faces are so close to each other that their breaths mingle together so she hears it loud and clear. In true Kensi fashion, she ignores his statement and the emotions that accompany it and places her own hands on top of his and after giving them a little squeeze, she removes them from her face.

"Everything's fine Deeks."

"Is it?" She sees the challenge in his eyes, daring her to respond, something that she doesn't-she's not ready for the changes that it would bring. But she does understand the implication of those two simple words. He's referring to the "thing" between them: the one that they've been dancing around for years, pretending that it doesn't exist.

Fortunately or unfortunately-she's not sure which one is more correct- Hetty chooses that exact moment to talk.

"Miss Blye, it's good to have you back, safe and sound."

"It's good to be back, I guess."

"Deeks fill you in yet?" Callen questions from where he's standing next to Hetty.

"Yeah, apparently I've been missing."

"You gave us quite a scare this morning." the team leader replies.

"It wasn't my intention really."

"What happened?" Sam asks her.

"I got a flat tire."

"Seriously?" he asks again, in disbelief.

"Yes, and when I tried to change it I found out that the spare one was riddled with bullet holes from our last case. And as if that wasn't enough, because I had forgotten to charge my phone the night before, the battery was dead so I had to walk half a mile to a fast food joint to call road service and then I had to wait for them to come."

"That's an unfortunate series of events and we would all like to hear more but I'm afraid that we have a new case in our hands. If you may follow me?"

One by one the agents and detective began to walk up the stairs. Kensi could feel Deeks's eyes on her, boring holes on the back of her head but she didn't dare turn around to face him.

* * *

"Three days ago someone hacked into DoD and retrieved information regarding the strategic positions of our military troops in the Pacific. Yesterday, we heard a rumour that a woman named Roxanne Morrison is in possession of this intel, and is also willing to sell it to the highest bidder."

"Could do a lot of damage to our government if it fell in the wrong hands. What do we know about her?" Callens asks.

"Roxanne Kayla Morrison, 26, parents deceased, grew up in the foster system. At the age of 16 she ran away from her foster home to join a gang lead by the Italian Mob."

"Now", Nell continues, "She's the manager of the famous Italian restaurant 'Monza', which is also suspected of doing the Mob's money laundering."

"So probably the deal between her and the buyer will go down at the restaurant." Sam said.

"And it so happens that one of the waitresses and the music entertainer called in sick today, giving us the opportunity to infiltrate their business, so to speak."

"I guess it's time for me to brush up my people serving skills."

"That won't be necessary Mr Deeks."

"You want me to go under as the entertainer then." the detective says.

"Deeks please, you can't define the sounds that come out of your mouth combined with melody as singing."

Easy banter and teasing, she can easily do, but talking about her feelings for a certain blonde LAPD detective, with said detective is not her forte.

"Do you think that you're better than me?"

"Me? No. Sam on the other hand is."

"I've dined in that restaurant. It's high class and one of the top ten places to eat if you consider yourself as someone important. I don't think that they'll appreciate Sam's skills at rap. Plus, I play the violin."

"You're both right which is why Mr Beale will go undercover as the music entertainer."

"What?" They all exclaimed in unison.

"Don't look so surprised. You've all heard him sing and he does play the piano." Hetty replied smiling at the dear-caught-in-headlights look they all supported.

"You do?" Nell asked him.

His 'yes' sounded more like an animalistic sound than his voice. Who could blame him though; learning that you're going undercover at a restaurant managed by the Italian Mob are one of those situations where losing your voice is justified.

"I guess it's you and me Eric." Kensi says after a few seconds of silence.

"Not so fast Miss Blye. It's Miss Jones who will accompany Mr Beale in this mission."

It was Nell's turn to lose her voice.

"Are you sure about this Hetty? No offense to neither of you guys, but this is an important and dangerous mission and they don't have enough field experience. There are plenty of other agents with music talent who can do this mission." Callen says.

"I believe that both Miss Jones and Mr Beale are capable of handling any situation and they've proven themselves many times already. Like you said, this is a high risk mission as it involves the Italian Mob but they're less likely to be made by them than any of you."

"If you're sure."

"I am Mr Callen. Now", she looked at Eric and Nell, "you have an hour to make your fake ID'S and backgrounds before your presence is required down in wardrobe."

With that said, she walked away leaving two very confused tech experts to figure out what just happened.

* * *

**What do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? I know that most of you expected to see what happens to Eric but you'll have to wait a couple more chapters for that. Patience.**

**Share your opinion. ****Any constructive criticism is welcomed as long as it doesn't insult me or my work.**

**Until next time **

**~F**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello my amazing readers. I apologise for not updating earlier but I've had the week that came from hell. I'm talking my-dad-almost-died-but-he's-gonna-be-ok bad. As you may guess, my world turned upside and even my muse left to go have her own mental break down and hasn't returned yet.**

**I wrote most of the chapter before my dad's accident but I haven't been in the mood for much, let alone writing fan fiction but I wanted to finish it. I hope it's not bad.**

**Once again, I want to thank all of you for reading, following and reviewing. A special thanks to my beta Quen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS LA or its characters.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Eric is zipping up the black jacket that Hetty had insisted on him wearing along with a pair of jeans and a plain white T-shirt when he hears Nell speak from behind him.

"I just realised that this is only the third time I've ever seen you wear pants."

"Fifth." he corrects and turns around to face her.

"The leggings you wore for Christmas two years ago and the Hawkeye costume you wore last year to Comic Con don't count."

"Wait, you're telling me that I wore both those pairs of very, very tight pants in vain."

"You didn't wear them in vain. Your elf costume put a big smile on the faces of all those children and your Hawkeye costume matched my Black Widow one."

"I'm sure you're going to get sick of seeing me in pants, thanks to this mission."

"I would never get tired of seeing you in big boy pants but speaking of the mission, are you sure you wanna do this? It would completely understandable by all of us if you've changed your mind."

"I'm a little terrified but I'm going to do it. All I'll have to do is to play the piano and keep an eye on Morrison. Plus, you're gonna be there to watch my back. Piece of cake, right?"

"I hope so."

"What about you? Going undercover has always been a dream of yours."

"It is... I just never thought that it would come so fast and I can't stop thinking what if I'm not prepared for this? What if I mess up and get us both killed?"

"You're more than prepared for the mission and if anyone is gonna mess up, it's me. This is my first long term undercover job."

"You're going to do great. You almost frelted the previous time, so the universe is probably going to cut you some slack this time around."

Eric involuntarily shivers at the memory of that incident. Four years later and it still haunts his sleep.

Nightmares were never a new occurrence for Eric. Part of his job is watching videos of people being tortured or killed so that he can find clues and help his team solve the case in hand.

Nightmares of Nell, his team members or Hetty dying because he hadn't found them fast enough or because he had been outsmarted by the captors happen very often.

Nightmares where he relives his first near death experience, the unbearable heat, sipping through his skin and almost melting his vital organs only for it to abruptly turn into a bone-freezing cold a few seconds later, sucking all the oxygen from his lungs, are part of his sleep too.

The feeling that you are going to die-accompanied by regrets of things you didn't get to do or say- such as taking that trip around the world you've always wanted to, going home for Christmas to see your parents or expressing your feelings to someone, that's one feeling that he doesn't want to relieve ever again.

"Anyway, you do know that we have to pretend to be strangers." Nell says, changing the subject, sensing Eric going down the rabbit hole of his near death experience.

She has noticed him do that some times. The first time was a few weeks after the incident. It had been a long week and an even harder case so after they handed the men responsible for the kidnapping of a marine's wife to LAPD, Callen invited all of them for a few drinks.

Kensi was telling the story of how one of the kidnappers, during their hand do hand combat, almost strangled her. Eric had excused himself and had left the bar. When 15 minutes later he hadn't returned, she went in search of him and found him leaning against the bar's side wall, having what she assumed was a panic attack. She calmed him down eventually and drove him home.

That night was a milestone for their partnership and eventual friendship. Without knowing it, it had brought them closer to each other.

The last incident in which she was present was while Kensi was in Afghanistan and Callen had sent them a picture of Kensi, lying dead on the ground.

After verifying its authenticity, Eric left OPS. She gave him a few minutes to process everything but fearing that he would have another attack, she went looking for him and found him perched over the sink in the men's bathroom, shaking and breathing heavily. She just placed her hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles in his skin. After he calmed down, he told her that seeing Kensi like that reminded him of the other coworkers and boss, the friends that he had lost and his own almost death.

But he now seems to handle the panic attacks usually, when he reminiscence's about that day, he just zones out and breaths heavily.

"Hmm?" he murmurs. He's still lost in his own thoughts so she reaches for his hands and squeezes them, offering him as much comfort as possible.

"I said that we're going to have to pretend to not know each other."

"Oh yes, I think we can manage Nell Johnson." he says smiling but it does quite reach his blue eyes.

"I think that too, Eric Miller. Come on now, Hetty is going to kill us if we don't show up in OPS immediately." She squeezes his hands one more time and drags him with her.

* * *

"Deeks, drop it." Kensi says as she replaces her gun's empty magazine with a full one, only to empty that too into the paper targets that hang across from her.

"No, because you lied to me." he says when the room is quiet again.

"I didn't."

"Come on, getting a flat tire? That's the lamest excuse in the history of lame excuses, you don't expect me to believe that."

"I do because it's the truth."

"No it's not. I know you better than you know yourself Kensi. I can tell when you're lying."

"Well, you're wrong this time." she removes her glasses and ear plugs and makes her way to the door but Deeks catches her wrist and spins her around.

"Let me rephrase that so that you can understand: a) your spare tire wasn't riddled with bullet holes because you got it last week and we haven't been shot at in two weeks, b) I know for a fact that you have a burn phone in your car just in case your phone's battery dies and c) we promised that we would call each other if we're going to be late so that the other one doesn't freak out. So no, I don't believe a word you say. "

Kensi considers it for a moment. She knows that he has seen right through her lies so there's no point in sticking to her story.

"Fine, I gonna tell you. I didn't get a flat tire and my phone was fully charged. I just... bumped into Jack on my way to pick you up."

"Wait, what? You 'bumped' into Jack, as in the jackass who abandoned you on Christmas morning? The same one for whom you gave yourself up to the Taliban and almost died in their hands?"

"Deeks..." his name is a whispered plea from her lips and tears are beginning to gather in her 's taken it too far. He puts one of his hands over her left one and squeezes it while his other hand wipes away a tear that has made its way down her cheek.

Surprisingly, she doesn't slap his hands away or threaten him with bodily harm-on the contrary, she snuggles further into his palm and closes her eyes.

"I'm sorry Kensi. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset." she throws back, raising her head from his hand. She tries to pull her hand away from his grasp but he just grabs her other hand and squeezes them both. "It's ok to be upset Kensi. It's normal after what you went through in Afghanistan. I just want you to know that I'm here for you, whenever you're ready to talk."

She nods. She knows that she can trust him with her life and heart-he would rather take a bullet than let her die or break her heart-she would do the same thing but when someone's been burned as many times as she has, letting someone in is really hard.  
But She's not ready yet to talk about Afghanistan. What the Taliban did to her, how Jack broke her almost fixed heart to a million pieces still haunt her in her sleep. But she knows that when she's eventually ready, he'll be there to listen to her and chase the demons away.

She opens her mouth to tell him that she knows but Sam chooses that exact moment to walk in. He doesn't comment on their close proximity or Kensi's teary eyes, instead he tells them that Eric has made it to the restaurant.

"Ok, be there in a sec." Deeks tells him and when leaves, he turns around to face Kensi. He wipes away the remaining tears and reaches the corners of her mouth, pushing them up in a smile. Kensi laughs and slaps his hands.

"There you go Kensalina. Come on the show's about to start." he grabs their guns and lightly pushes her towards the door.

* * *

"Hello?" Eric asks as he enters the seemingly empty restaurant.

The decor is like he imagined it would be. Marble floors, fresh flowers near the entrance and in half a dozen alcoves. Three big crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. A few tables with crisp white linen table cloths and cloth napkins. Elegant candles and two sets of fine china, silverware and glasses in full formal place settings at each table. Wine and other liquor displays next to what he assumes is the door that leads to the kitchen.

_Not bad for a front for the mob._

He spots a black piano on his left, sitting on a platform, approximately 6 inches above the floor.

"Is anybody here?"

"Yes." he hears a female voice say.

_That's probably Roxanne Morrison,_ he thinks and his suspicions are confirmed a second later when he turns around to face her."How can I help you?"

"Hi. I'm Eric Miller and I'm here for the job." he says and extends his right hand. She shakes it without hesitation.

"As a waiter?"

"No. As the entertainer. I would suck as a waiter. The only thing my hands are good for is playing the piano."

"That was really smooth Beale." Deeks comments over the comms and the rest of the team laughs along.

"Just playing the piano?" Morrison asks, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow suggestively.

"Among other things."

"What other things?" She's not one to get involved with her employees but if he takes the job (and he's only supposed to be filling in for the pianist who called in sick this morning), she wouldn't mind doing some after work activities with him. She's a woman with needs and besides he's fairly cute (that leather jacket does wonders to his upper body and she's always had a soft spot for blond blue-eyed men).

"I can't believe she's flirting with you man. You think you can handle her?" Deeks chimes in again.

"Extracurricular activities that the section of 'talents' in a job application wouldn't begin to cover."

"Is that right?" she questions, invading his personal space.

"Look at him, turning on the charm. Didn't believe you had it in you Beale."

He's tempted to shut the earpiece off but he knows that that would make them worry so he chooses to ignore Deeks' comments and focus on Morrison.

"It is."

"Ok, then if you're here for the job of the piano man, as I used to call your predecessor, why don't you play me something?" she says walking away from him and towards the piano. Eric follows her and sits on the piano bench.

* * *

Nell can't pinpoint the exact moment that she decides to not follow the plan: when Eric is done with his interview, wait a few minutes and then go in for her own 'interview'.

She doesn't have an excuse for her behaviour._ You're jealous,_ whispers a voice inside her head but she ignores it because she's not jealous. She has no reason to be.

Eric is a free man and can make his own choices. Flirting with their main suspect shouldn't make the blood in her veins boil because she has no claim over him.

She also has no right to let her emotions cloud her judgement and blow the whole mission up in the air but she's reached the restaurant's entrance and stopping now would make her look suspicious so she just pushes the door open.

She stops dead in her tracks when Eric's voice reaches her ears. It sounds nothing like the one that she's used to hearing from him on their karaoke nights. Its sweeter, more melodic and dare she say hypnotizing.

Morrison doesn't notice her and Nell doesn't make her presence known but Eric straightens his back in a clear sign that he has sensed her presence. He doesn't look at her which is a wise move but keeps playing the piano and singing a song that she only now realises which it is.

It's the soundtrack of her mother's favourite movie: 'She' by Elvis Costello. She never thought much of the song but now hearing this version, she kinda likes it. (She refuses to acknowledge the fact that it's a love song which was written for a sappy chick flic).

What she does acknowledge is Morrison who is leaning provocatively against the piano and can't take her eyes off of him. She would swoon too if Eric serenaded a song to her.

Eric finishes the song and looks up at her, supporting a surprised look. Morrison follows his gaze and checks Nell up and down, looking almost annoyed.

_#Sorry not sorry,_ Nell thinks.

"Can I help you?" Morrison asks, crossing her hands over her chest.

"I heard you were looking for a waitress."

"I am. Do you have any experience?"

"Made ends meet throughout college."

"Leave me your number and I'll contact you if I need you tonight." she says and hands her a notepad. Nell writes her fake name and number and gives her the notepad back.

At that moment Eric rises from his stool and approaches Morrison. He takes the notepad from her hands and writes something down.

"That's my name and number, if you need me too."

"May I walk you out?" he then asks Nell. She nods and lets him lead her out of the restaurant.

* * *

"What do you have on them?" Morrison asks the moment her associate answers the phone.

"Miller's got a gambling problem. Owes almost a gran to shark loans. Johnsons' got student loans she hasn't paid up yet. They seem like they would want in, if they stay and if you ever decided to bring them in."

"They're only temporary replacement for Josh and Cristy but it's not bad to have more options. You never know, they might prove to be better than their predecessor's. Now, see if there's anything else you can dig up on them."

"Yes boss."

* * *

**Fun fact: I wrote the first Eric-Nell scene before my dad's accident. Coincidence much?**

**I hope that Eric doesn't seem OOC in this chapter. We haven't seen him interact with other women so I believe that that awkwardness he has when flirting with Nell is due to his feelings for her.  
**

**Anyway, I don't know when the next chapter will be up but I want you to know that I won't abandon this story (Quen would have my head in a silver plate if I even thought about it)**

**Until next time**  
**~F**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello my amazing readers! I'm back. My mind has not been on fanfiction lately, and I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter but **** I didn't want you guys to wait any longer.  
**

**My usual thanks go to my beta Quen but I want to say a special 'thank you' to all of you who wished my dad well. He's thankfully made a full recovery and I'm doing much better too.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

When Nell and Eric enter the bullpen, they're greeted by their teammates. Deeks who's leaning against his desk starts clapping. "Way to go Beale. You turned into a totally different person in the restaurant. I almost didn't recognise you when you started going all sex machine on Morrison."

"I was just flirting with her. Do you guys think that was a bad idea?"

"No, not at all. Actually, it increases the chances of her calling you for the job. Better than most of ideas that G has undercover. You should have Eric give you a couple of tips on undercover work." Sam says teasingly, looking at Callen.

Callen let's out a low chuckle before he responds. "Please, I've been an undercover operative for almost 20 years. He should be the one coming up to me for advice."

"How old are you again?" Deeks asks the team leader. He knows but he's not sure. How can he be when everything about Callen is a mystery.

Before Callen can answer her partner's question, Kensi speaks up."I think Eric gave a great performance. You should really consider quitting NCIS and going to Broadway."

"Nah, I've had my share of theater in high school and college. Besides, I love my job here."

"That's always good to know Mr Beale. I believe congratulations are in order for you and Miss Jones."

"Thank you Hetty." they both reply in unison. They share a smile, remembering that beginning of their partnership where they would talk at the same time before they switched to finishing each other's sentences.

"Now, there's work to be done. Go." Hetty says after a few seconds awkwardness where they just stared at each other. This case is different from all the others and they don't know hot to act. Sure, Nell and Eric have been out on the field and undercover but it was never long-term and never somewhere that dangerous. But they very capable and if Hetty believes that they can pull it off, then they can.

* * *

Nell and Eric get a call from Roxanne Morrison some time after noon. She tells Eric to wear a suit and asks Nell for her size so that she can get her an outfit.

They spend their time until they have to be at the restaurant, at their places packing clothes and other personal items so that they can move into their new apartments. (Nell suggested that she and Eric move out of their residences and in some of NCIS's safe houses in case Morrison has them tailed, and because their places don't match with their aliases' backgrounds and lifestyles.)

Now, Nell's at wardrobe, waiting for Eric to finish putting on the suit that Hetty lent him for the mission. It's not a 800 dollar Armani suit but it'll do the job. Her breath gets caught somewhere between her lungs and throat when he pulls the curtain of the dressing room to the side. He's even more handsome in a black suit paired with a blue dress shirt that makes his eyes pop out.

"God, these pants are even worse than jeans. I don't understand why the guys get excited when they get to wear a suit. They are torture devices." Eric complains, stretching his legs in opposite directions. Nell coughs to hide her laugh at Eric's antics and Hetty's threat to get money from his paycheck if he dares to rip the slacks.

"Now, we'll have to do something about that hair of yours, Mr Beale." Hetty says, holding a bottle of expensive hair gel in her hands.

"Please, not hair gel. I hate hair gel. Now that I think about it, I'm allergic to it."

"I know for a fact that you're not allergic to hair gel."

"I could be. What if I am and I have an allergic reaction

"It's hair gel or a tie. Take your pick Mr Beale."

Eric hates ties too. He's always hated them. They remind him of his distant and absent from his life father. His hatred of them got worse after his first undercover experience. Back then the tie he wore around his neck was like an invisible rope, preventing his lungs from drawing in valuable oxygen. Even though that was not the case, he still hates them with a passion.

"Hair gel." he replies, defeated.

"Wise choice. Now sit down and I'll have Miss Mills style your hair."

"That won't be necessary Hetty. I can do it." Nell simply hands her the bottle before walking walks over to where Eric is sitting on a chair, pours some of the product in her hands and starts combing his hair with her fingers. She takes more time than is necessary because she's always wanted to run her hands through his hair and she doesn't know if she'll ever get the chance to do it again.

"Nervous?" she asks after a few moments of silence, only interrupted by the sound of Eric's shoe making contact with the hardwood floor, an indication of nervousness.

"Yeah, kinda but I feel more excited than nervous."

"It's the adrenaline and the excitement that comes with doing something new and dangerous."

"I guess you're right. I can see why the guys like going undercover. Pretending to be someone else, living a different life, knowing that by the end of the op, the bad guys are probably gonna end up in prison making Los Angeles just a little bit safer, it's like making a movie and it also gives you a purpose."

"That's a good way to go with it. All done, what do you think?"Eric stands up and walks over to one of the full length mirrors available. He places both his hands on his hair and starts inspecting it.

"It looks like a cow licked my head."

Nell bursts out laughing at his comment because, truth be told, his hair, parted in two sides, slick with gel, looks like it's been licked by a cow.

"It's not that bad."

"It is, and how come Deeks never does his hair like this when he wears a suit for a case.""Because Deeks has long hair and he wouldn't look good."

"Maybe I should let my hair grow."

"I wouldn't recommend it Mr Beale. Long hair looked good on you when you were in middle school but that was the 90's.""I need to see pictures of that."

"And you will Miss Jones, once this mission is over. Mr Beale, a word please. "

"Yes Hetty."

* * *

Almost an hour later, Nell is entering the "Monza" restaurant. This time around she takes a few moments to map out the place in her mind. Exits, fire escapes, the kitchen, the position of the tables and piano. She's already memorised the blueprints of the place but one can never be too careful, especially when they're a law enforcement agent undercover in a front for the Italian Mob.

Instinctively, her hand curls around her handbag where her weapons lie. Her gun and a knife that she hopes that she can carry on her person and that her outfit will hide.

She spots Morrison exciting a room, presumably her office if the small golden sign on the door labeled "Manager's office" is any indication.

"Johnson, you're here. Good. Your uniform is in the women's locker room but before that Mercedes here, who is head waitress and second in command, is going to introduce you to the rest of the staff." Morrison says and goes back inside to her office before Nell can even nod.

As if on cue, 6 people gather around her and Mercedes begins with Nell and then first introduces her the Bertinelli family which consists of Nikki, the head chef, her husband, a chef too and their son Blaine who also works with them in the kitchen. Then it's the other waiter besides her and Mercedes, a young man named Artie. Her other two fellow 'employees' are Britney, the bar woman and occasional waitress, and lastly, Sebastian, the valet. She makes a mental note to run a background check on all of them when she heads to OPS the following morning.

When the introductions are over, Mercedes orders everyone to return to their position while she leads Nell to the women's locker 's almost done putting on her uniform, black pants, white dress shirt and black apron, when she hears Eric enter the restaurant.

She listens as he greets Mercedes and introduces himself but soon Morrison joins them and probably takes him away, either to her office or to the kitchen to meet the Bertinelli's because she can't hear their voices anymore.

Soon, Mercedes comes and gets her and she's thrown into work.

* * *

Deeks was right about the restaurant being famous because as soon as it opens, people come rushing in.

She's so busy that she only speaks to Eric once.

It's an accident, really. She's cleaning a table and Eric bumps into her. They both apologise and she wants to break character and talk about the case but Mercedes is close and listening.

Eric is the first one to speak, "Nell, right?"

"Right. And you are?"

"Eric. I play the piano and sing."

"So I've noticed."

"I'm sure you have. You look like someone who notices things."

Nell hears Mercedes hide her laugh behind a cough so she decides to cut their conversation short because Eric probably hasn't noticed and she doesn't want him to say anything that might blow their covers.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment and I'm also going to go now because I'm not on my break and I don't wanna get fired."

"Yes, of course. See you around, I guess."

"See you."

Nell doesn't acknowledge the smile and the wink that Mercedes sents her way when she enters the kitchen.

* * *

By the time her shift is over, Eric is already gone. She texts him and he replies that he's already at his new apartment. She bids Morrison, who's the one to close the restaurant, good night and drives her aliase's old car back to her new place all the while thinking about a hot shower and some well deserved rest.

* * *

**Hope it wasn't so bad. Also, I start school on Monday and finals are just around the corner so I've no idea when I'll be able to update.**

**Until next time **

**~F**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So, anyone remember this little story? Well, it's back for good.**

**Sorry it took me so long to update but when life, laziness and writer's block come together, it's hard for me to write anything.**

**This chapter is mostly a filler. The next ones are better, I promise.**

**I'm planning on updating the remaining chapters once a week, on Saturdays. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with the schedule.**

**Also, if you didn't realise, I named the staff of the restaurant after my favorite Glee characters. Just my way of honoring a truly amazing TV show.**

**Big thank you to all of you who read and reviewed the previous chapter. Your support means the world to me.**

**A special thank you goes to ForeseeAble future for adding "The Piano Man" to her community 'Eric Beale is Awesome." You should check out the community, it has some really awesome stories.**

**The biggest thank you in the world goes to my beta Quen.**

**Disclaimer: I didn't get ownership of NCIS Los Angeles since the last time that I updated this story.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Two days later, Roxanne Morrison "hires" Nell and Eric.

Hetty had convinced the two people whom they were replacing to testify against Morrison in exchange for new jobs and protection. Eric was the one who created their new identities.

For a couple of days, they don't go into OPS because they're being followed everywhere by men who work for the Mob.

It's hard for Eric to keep going with his day when he knows that he's being watched. Thankfully, musical theatre was one of his favourite lessons in school.

Morrison must have confirmed their credibility because soon there are no cars parked outside their new apartments and Nell is able to run background checks on all the members of the stuff. None of them has a criminal record but they all do, however, have a reason to be working for Morrison.

Either to provide for their family - like a single mother of two children - Mercedes Johnson, either to pay off student loans - like Artie or just because they were born into the Mob - like Britney, who is the daughter of a high ranking mob member.

Eric and Artie quickly become friends over their mutual love for video games while Nell and Britney, after the latter's failed attempt at flirting with Nell, meet outside the restaurant a couple of times.

Nell tries to imagine the people who work for the restaurant behind bars, when the mission is over. It's hard for her to do so now that she has gotten to know them. She just hopes that they all have enough information about Morrison's illegal activities, so that they'll be able to make a deal with NCIS.

* * *

The first week of the operation is fairly simple for Nell and Eric. They spend the morning in OPS assisting the rest of team with a couple of cases and try to pick up any chatter on the Dark Web about anyone interested in buying the intel that Morrison has in her possession.

The evening is spend with Nell serving tables and Eric playing symphonies on the piano and singing love songs that she pretends not to notice that are for her.

Everyone else seems to notice though as both she and Eric are in the receiving end of teasing from their "co-workers". Artie and Britney who had previously flirted with her, soon began encouraging Nell to put Eric out of his misery and go out with him.

Mercedes has a different approach; She makes innuendos that cause Eric to trip over his feet and words and Nell's cheeks to redden.

Even Morrison who had previously shown interest in Eric, had stopped flirting with him and one day, after they closed for the night, she called them to her office and informed them that she has a policy against relationships in the workplace and unless they wanted to find themselves fired, they had to keep whatever was going on between them platonic.

They agreed and left the office but not before Nell placed a mic under the chair that she was occupying. Desks were checked more often for surveillance devices so the chair was the best option.

Nell went to Morrison's office two more times after that. Once to look for a laptop or a tablet as she didn't see a desk computer the first time she was there but the only thing she managed to find was a safe that she couldn't crack. The other time was to plant a camera so that they could be able to see with whom she met, in case she sold the intel when Nell and Eric weren't present.

That time she was almost caught by Morrison herself but managed to hide behind a plant and as ridiculous as it sounds, it actually worked as the plant was a decent size and Nell managed to make herself even smaller.

* * *

On the fourth night of the mission, Deeks and Kensi come to the restaurant because they had some intel which suggested that the deal could happen that night. The information turns out to be invalid but the night is not a total waste as from what Nell learns later, Deeks finally made a move on Kensi.

She might have been scared at first, but after a pep talk from Nell, Kensi decided to have a much needed discussion with Deeks about their "thing".

A couple of days later, a Sheik who uses his money to fund a variety of illegal activities, arrives in Los Angeles and they have reasons to believe that he might be interested in buying the intel that Morrison stole.

So Callen and Sam are undercover at the restaurant as two businessmen who are trying to close a deal of their own. The Sheik does turn up but there's no deal so the mission is still on going.

Three days after that, the microphone that Nell had planted on Morrison's office, "overhears" her phone conversation with a potential buyer. The buyer shows up along with his four bodyguards, something goes wrong between him and Morrison and then Nell's worst fear comes to life.

* * *

**So, was it worth the wait? Let me know.**

**Until next time**

**~F**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello my amazing readers. Remaining true to the schedule, I bring you the sixth chapter.**

**This is essentially the first chapter of the story but from Nell's point of view.**

**A big thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter and an even bigger thank you for sticking with this story even though I hadn't updated in ages.**

**As always special thanks to my wonderful beta Quen.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own a single thing.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Present time_

Nell smiles at the two businessmen as she serves them their drinks, all the while listening to the conversation that Morrison is having with the arms dealer who's here to strike a deal with her about the intel that she stole.

Through the mic that Nell had planted in Morrison's office, they managed to overhear her conversation with the potential buyer. That's why Deeks and Kensi are once again undercover in the restaurant and Callen and Sam are parked outside.

Nell just wants for the deal to happen so that they can close the case and she can go to her own home again.

She's been feeling uneasy all day.

And that feeling is explained a few seconds later when she realises what's going to happen.

Maybe it's her training, maybe it's her instinct or maybe it's a combination of both. Either way, it doesn't matter, because the restaurant is filled with people which translates to a lot of casualties if the bad guys decide to aim at the crowd instead of just Morrison.

And because bad guys are always so predictable, they open fire at the crowd. Nell barely manages to flip a small table to the side and take cover behind it.

She grabs her gun, and looks up from her hiding spot only to come back down because she doesn't have a clear shot of the assailants and she doesn't want to risk shooting any of the civilians. So she looks around and decides that the route that leads to another flipped table two yards away from her position, is the one to less likely get her killed so she goes that way.

Once she's relatively safe, she manages to take out two of the "muscle" that the gun dealer had brought with him.

_Two down, four more with 9mm handguns to go._

She touches her hand to her ear to communicate with Eric and the rest of the team.

"Guys, can you hear me?"

She waits a second but there's no reply. "Does anyone copy?"

She's once again met with silence, so she gives up and goes back to shooting at bad guys. She takes the arms dealer down but notices that Morrison is nowhere to be seen. She does spot Deeks and Kensi returning fire, as well as Eric taking cover behind the piano.

She's crouching behind the flipped table, replacing her gun's empty magazine with a full one that she had stashed in her uniform's apron, when the hair on the back of her neck stands up. She turns around and comes face to face with a gun.

It's ironic, really how her whole training seems to have been wiped from her brain and how the chaos that surrounds her seems to fade away, giving way to the barrel of that one gun.

She wills her legs and hands to move, but they don't want to cooperate with her mind. It seems like they have gone numb with fear. Fear of dying, perhaps. She doesn't blame them though, knowing that you're going to die does weird things to you.

Nell's albeit short life doesn't flash before her eyes like she suspected it would, like she's heard that it does. Instead two of her biggest regrets make their way to the forefront of her mind: not telling the truth to her parents about her job and not acting on the more-than-friends thing that existed between her and Eric.

Eric. Her too-awkward, too-romantic... idiot who is making his way towards her, getting between her and her impending murderer.

"Eric, no!" she screams but her voice comes out sounding more like an animal sound than anything remotely human.

But it's too late because he's already pushing her out of the way. She falls face down on the floor, her hands sandwiched between it and her chest, her gun sliding across the marble floor, far out of reach.

She quickly overcomes the waves of pain that are shooting through her arms and pushes herself back on her feet. She takes the two steps that separate her from a fallen Eric, all the while repeating "please be okay" in her head, over and over again.

She doesn't even care about the fact that she's in the middle of a shootout and there's a high possibility that a stray bullet might lodge itself into her body.

When she finally makes it to his side, his eyes are open but she wishes that they weren't because the fear and shock that she can see in his blue orbs are enough to break something inside of her forever.

Not wasting time, she unbottons his suit jacket and sees that his white dress shirt is soaked in blood. Panicking slightly, she hastily removes her black apron and presses in to his upper chest, where she thinks the wound is.

She's correct because a moment later he groans in pain and his eyes close .

"Stay with me Eric," she says, her voice trembling ever so slightly.

"Nell...", he whispers, and raises his left hand and lightly circles her left wrist.

"Shh, don't talk. Just open your eyes for me."

He does so and it's only then that she realises how pale his face is and that his lips are turning blue. When she moves up to his eyes, she sees that they're closed once again.

"Stay with me partner," she says and her tone would have been characterised as demanding had her voice not been trembling more than a leaf caught in a heavy storm.

He opens his eyes but the next second they're closed once again, his head falling to the side and Nell's world falls apart along with it.

* * *

**How was it from Nell's point of view? Better? Worse? Let me know.**

**So I know that the last part is inconsistent with the last part of the first chapter but I didn't want to change the one in the first chapter because it's the summary of this story and coming up with the summary is harder than writing the story itself and I also like this chapter a lot so I let both versions be. I hope this doesn't make me a bad writer.**

**Until next time**

**~F**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Once again I manage to get this out on time. Yay me!(I'm going to treat myself with some cake after I post this. I deserve it)

To the Guest who asked me if I'm a Billy Joel fan: I wouldn't call myself a fan of his even though I named this story after a song of his. I first heard of his song The Piano Man on Glee and I thought it fit the story and my beta agreed so chose it as a title. Stick with the story and you might see Eric singing that particular song in a later chapter.

I'm sad to note that there has been a decrease in reviews and that pains me because this means that you guys are not enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it and I'm very sorry that this is happening. Anyways, a big thank you to those of you who read and reviewed. It means the world to me.

A bigger thank you goes to my extraordinary beta Quen.

Disclaimer: If I did own this show, this story would have been an entire 3 episode arc but unfortunately it's not, so I don't own it.

Enjoy!

* * *

A few seconds later, Deeks rushes to her side and gives her a couple of towels that she presses to Eric's wound.

He asks her if she's okay and she nods in reply.

"Ambulance is on its way," he tells her after a few beats of silence.

"He's going to be okay Nell," he adds and lighty squeezes her shoulder before letting go.

She nods again because she doesn't trust herself to speak just yet.

Not even a minute later two paramedics, a man and a woman enter the restaurant. The man takes Eric's vitals and the woman takes over putting pressure on the wound on his chest.

Sam and Kensi had offered to replace her earlier but she had refused both times. She was supposed to have his back and she had failed. The least she could do was try to keep him alive.

Wiping at the sweat that had gathered on her forehead, she looks around. She spots Deeks and Kensi talking to the LAPD as well as a few dead bodies (she's happy to note that most belong to the arms dealer and his men). Unfortunately, there are a few civilians whom she remembers serving just a few minutes ago.

It's funny how one moment you can be happily enjoying your dinner and the next you end up lying on a cold hard floor, dead.

She doesn't get to dwell much on her thoughts because there's something wrong with Eric.

The words "not breathing" reach her ears and she feels her own breath leave her lungs.

There's nothing more she wants than to rush by his side, but she stays put because she knows that she would do more harm than good to Eric if she got in the way of the paremedics' work.

Said paramedics from what Nell can tell, have put a dressing over his wound and are now putting a tube down his throat. Before she can ask what's happening, the woman is bagging Eric whilst Sam and the male paramedic are placing him on the cot.

She makes a move to follow them to the ambulance but she feels someone grab at her arm. Turning around, she sees that the hand belongs to the brunette agent.

"It would be better if we follow in the car."

Nell knows that Kensi's right but she really wants to be in that ambulance with Eric, to see for herself that he's still alive. Once again though, logic takes over and she realises that she would just get in the way of the paramedics if she was to do so, which is why she follows Kensi to her car.

She spends the entire duration of the ride starring at the ambulance in front of them, as if that will get rid of the bullet that Eric took, the bullet that is doing everything in its power to destroy him from the inside out,the same bullet that was meant for her.

When they finally arrive at the hospital, Eric has already been rushed into surgery so she sits on one of the many uncomfortable plastic chairs in the waiting room and stares at the clock on the wall opposite of her as the minutes tick by agonisingly slow.

Sometime after, she ends up alone with Hetty in the waiting room: Callen and Granger are somewhere talking about the aftermath of the case, Sam went home because Michelle is on a mission and the babysitter can't watch over Kam forever and Kensi and Deeks have gone to get some coffee.

It's only when Hetty puts a hand on top of hers that she notices that they're shaking.

Nell squeezes them together but they don't stop trembling. She tears her gaze from the clock and looks at Hetty.

"What do you say we get you cleaned up?"

Nell nods and stands up to follow Hetty to the restrooms probably.

Nell has caught herself nodding many time in the past couple of hours but she can't bring herself to replace her physical form of agreement with something vocal.

She's so emotionally and physically exhausted that any strength that she has left is used to block out all the negative thoughts and horrific mental images regarding Eric that her restless brain keeps creating.

"Where are you going?" asks Deeks when they round the corner.

"To get Miss Jones cleaned up. I believe that you will inform us if there are any news on Mr Beale's condition?"

"Definitely," answers Kensi.

Hetty continues making her way to the hospital's bathrooms, Nell following close behind.

Once they're there, Hetty leans against the beginning of the bathroom stalls. Nell goes to stand in front of the closest sink.

She looks at form in the big mirror covering the wall.

She almost doesn't recognise herself. Her skin is pale, strands of her hair have fallen from her previously neat ponytail and there's blood across her hairline and on her right cheek. Her uniform is also covered in dried blood.

"Eric's blood," whispers a voice in her head.

Ignoring the voice and holding back her tears, she turns on the faucet and puts her hands underneath the lukewarm water. Looking down she sees that her hands too are covered in blood. Blood that is getting mixed up with water as it swirls around the sink before going down the drain.

She starts rubbing her hands vigorously. She feels pain in her left wrist but she doesn't pay much attention to it as the blood that is being washed away from her hands paints all sorts of horrible pictures in her mind, pictures that she had tried so hard to block: Eric's lifeless body on the floor of the restaurant, Eric's lifeless body on top of the piano, Eric's lifeless body inside a coffin, Eric' lifeless body on...

Suddenly she's on the floor, a sob escaping her throat and the tears that she so desperately tried to hold back, running freely down her face.

* * *

Emotions all over the place!

Is that good or bad? Let me know!

Until next time

~F


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello my amazing readers. Here's the next installment of this story, right on time. Yey for me.**

**Thank you very much for the feedback to the last chapter. It's good to know that you guys have not lost interest in the story and that I was just being irrational.**

**The biggest thank you goes to my beta : I still don't own NCIS Los Angeles or its characters. I'm just borrowing them until the 7th season premier.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Nell doesn't know how long she spends on the floor crying - technically, she's in Hetty's arms and she's having a full on mental breakdown.

She cries about everything; how Eric might not make it - how she would never be able to move on if that happens, because he's such a big part of her life that she wouldn't know what to do with herself and how she desperately wishes for this whole ordeal to be just a very bad dream from which she'll soon awake.

But it's not a nightmare - it's the reality that she can't hide from it in a hospital's bathroom.

"You planned for this to happen, didn't you?" Nell asks Hetty as the water cleans away the last remains of Eric's dried blood from her hands.

She's still trying to gather her thoughts and emotions as neither she nor Eric can afford her being on the verge of another breakdown. She'll have plenty of time to do so when everything is back to normal - if it ever happens.

She feels a pain in her right wrist and she does her best not to flinch but if Hetty's knowing look is any indication, she'll be spending some time in the ER herself in the immediate future.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. All the stress that the mission and Mr Beale's condition are causing you, would keep building up until the moment when your body and mind would decide that they've had enough," Hetty replies coming to stand a few feet away from Nell.

"I have seen good people being destroyed by those moments. I did not wish for it to happen to you my dear," she adds.

"So you triggered it," Nell says before splashing some water in her face which is less pale than it was 20 minutes earlier.

"In a way, yes. I sped up the process, you could say. I was not certain it would work."

"Well it did," Nell spits out. She could see the reason and the logic behind Hetty's actions - she would have definitely had a moment like that had she not spoken to Nate - but she can't help but feel like she was used by the older woman as an experiment.

She'll have to think more about this later - there are more pressing matters that she has to focus on.

"I hope so. Now, how about we get that wrist of yours checked out and then we see if there's any news on Mr Beale's condition."

* * *

A doctor tends to her wrist - it's simply sprained. Nell can't pinpoint the exact moment it happened - her mind is full of memories of the gunfire and a dying Eric. Besides, her own safety was the last thing on her mind amongst the chaos that was the restaurant during those minutes.

When her wrist is all patched up and she's given painkillers, Nell and Hetty go back to the waiting room. All four of her team members are there, either sitting down on the uncomfortable plastic chairs or pacing the hallway.

They all stop and stare at the two women.

"You were gone for a long time," says Kensi who comes to sit next to Deeks, presumably done with walking up and down the wide corridor. The detective takes one of her hands in his.

"Yeah, turns out I sprained my wrist," she replies holding up her bandaged arm.

They seem to believe her. Well, they should as she's not lying. She did tend to her injury while they were gone - she just got a free lesson in psychology from Henrietta Lange herself in the meantime. A detail that the guys don't need to know.

"Any news?'' Nell asks, after she sits on a chair.

''Nothing yet," Deeks replies, still holding onto Kensi's hand.

"What about the case?"

"Morrison managed to get away but we've got people searching for her and we arrested the other staff members who survived."

Nell had not thought about the prospect of some of her "co-workers" being put behind bars or worse, ending up dead.

Somewhere along the line, she had stopped thinking of those people as criminals and began thinking of them as human beings who were simply trying to make ends meet. She just hopes that they have enough information on Morrison's illegal activities to be able to cut a deal with the authorities.

"Which ones?"

"The entire Bertinelli family, the valet and Johnson."

_Which leaves Artie and Britney,_ Nell thought to herself. The two people she and Eric had gotten closer to.

At least Mercedes' children are not orphans. That's somewhat of a relief.

She doesn't get to put much thought to the subject as the doors of the operation room open and a doctor comes out.

Nell's on her feet and asking about Eric's condition before anyone else can blink.

"He's alive."

Nell lets out the breath that she had been holding since Eric got in front of the bullet that was destined for her.

"Mr Beale was shot in the mid clavicle of his right side. The bullet hit one of the upper ribs, his right lung and chest wall causing the lung to collapse. Those, along with major blood loss led him into respiratory and cardiac arrest. As I'm sure you all know, all these mean that he's in critical condition so we're keeping him sedated for the time being."

"When can we see him?"

"He's in recovery right now so you'll have to wait until he's moved to the ICU. That will be at least a couple of hours from now."

"Thank you doctor."

"You're welcome." The doctor gives them a tight smile before leaving.

"You heard her. Mr Beale is going to be okay and we unfortunately can't visit him at the moment so I suggest we all get some rest, especially you Miss Jones."

"I'm not going anywhere until I see him."

_Until I see for myself that he's alive_, echoes in her head and it's the absolute truth.

"I'm not letting you stay here two more hours without a proper meal, a shower and rest. I'm going to drive you to your home to do all those. That's an order Nell."

They're all taken aback by Hetty's stern tone - one they've heard only a handful of times, as well as the usage of Nell's first name, a rarity of its own.

Nell on the other hand, doesn't pay much to attention to the above. Instead she wants to say that home is not a house but the people you care the most about and that one of those people is right here, recovering from a major surgery and should not be left alone. Instead, she nods because she knows that if she wants to be there for Eric when he wakes up, she has to take care of herself first, even if that's the last thing on her mind at the moment.

She feels a slight pressure on her shoulder and looks up to find Callen. For the first time she notices the bags under his eyes and the tiredness that's showing on his face.

Until then, she hadn't stopped to think that Eric getting shot has affected the rest of the team as well. Callen has once again come close to losing another person under his command and Sam having served has probably had his share of watching fellow Navy Seals dying. Kensi would have had to add another name to the list of men who abandoned her and Deeks would have lost a friend.

God knows how many agents Hetty has already lost to a bullet or a mission gone wrong.

Thankfully, she won't have to add Eric to that list. Nell can only assume the guilt that the older woman is feeling, being the one who decided to send Eric undercover - to his almost death, even though he wasn't a field agent.

By the time Nell is done with her thoughts, Kensi is hugging her so tightly that for a moment she fears that the brunette woman will break her ribs. That doesn't happen as she lets go but not before whispering ''tell him" in her ear.

Nell doesn't ask her what there is to tell and to whom not because Kensi's already down the hall, Deeks' arms around her shoulders, her own circling around the Detective's waist, but because she already knows the answer to both questions - has known for a while now.

As she watches the couple round the corner, she has a flash of herself and Eric, in each others arms walking along the beach. That image brings something akin to happiness in her heart and she promises to herself that when Eric recovers, she's going to stop pretending that there's nothing more than friendship between the two of them and she's also going to tell him that the love songs that he sang while undercover didn't go unnoticed by her - on the contrary, she feels the exact same way.

Her mental rant comes to an abrupt stop when the OR's doors open once again and this time a bed is wheeled out, on which lays Eric. Nell feels as if her feet have been glued to the floor because no matter how desperately she wants to rush to his side, she doesn't seem to be able to.

Maybe it's because the sight of his pale body laying immobile on the bed brings back images that had managed to push her to a breakdown not even an hour ago, or maybe it's because she fears the doctors will tell her that there were complications and they're talking him to the morgue and not the ICU.

She closes her eyes and takes deep breaths to calm her rapidly beating heart down. When her heart is back to a somewhat normal rhythm, she reopens her eyes only to notice Hetty looking at her with a look that she doesn't have the energy to decrypt and Eric is nowhere to be seen.

She spends a few minutes starring at the OR's doors until Hetty puts a hand on the small of her back and guides her towards the parking lot.

* * *

**So what do you guys think?**

**Interesting enough for you to come back next week? Let me know.**

**Until next time**

**~F**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello my amazing readers! How has your week been? **

**So, 9th chapter. Unfortunately, we're reaching the end ladies and gentlemen. **

**As always, thank you for reading and reviewing. I love you all.**

**A bigger thank you goes to my beta Quen who corrects all my mistakes as English is not a first language to me.**

**Disclaimer: I think I would have known it if I owned these characters.**

* * *

The ride to her place is merely a blur to Nell - her mind is too busy with replaying the image of Eric laying on the hospital bed before she left for her to notice her surroundings.

Hetty unlocks her apartment's door and Nell doesn't even ask her where she got a key - had it been any other time she would have been concerned about the violation of her privacy but it's not some other time. It's the time when Eric is recovering at the hospital from a bullet wound and Hetty is pulling out various pots and ingredients from the cabinets for dinner. Or is it breakfast?

She doesn't have the slightest idea what time of the day it is and frankly she doesn't care. What she cares about is getting back to Eric as soon as possible.

She would never forgive herself if he woke up all alone, in a hospital room full of doctors and nurses and she wasn't there. So she lets Hetty in the kitchen and she slowly walks to her bedroom.

She grabs her favourite pyjamas, a birthday gift from Eric, and enters the en suite bathroom. There she takes off her waitress uniform (she makes a mental note to burn both pieces of clothing when she has the time) and her underwear. She then proceeds to free her hair from its holder before removing the dressing from her injured wrist.

She steps into the shower and closes the glass door behind her. The hot water is working miracles to her sore body and she leans her head against the tiles, with her eyes closed, trying to forget everything that has happened. For one single moment she wants to pretend that it has been just another ordinary day but as she watches Eric's dried blood being washed from her body and getting mixed up with the water before going down the drain, she's painfully reminded that it is not just another day.

It is the day her life almost came to an end. It is the day Eric was shot saving her life. It is the day she...

Nell can feel the beginning of a breakdown seeping into her, a breakdown that she can't afford as it would only slow her down. So she forces herself to block out all her thoughts, just like she did when her classmates picked on her for being the youngest and the smartest person in her class.

She washes her hair and rubs at her skin until she's sure that every last bit of Eric's dried blood has been washed off.

Later, she enters the kitchen to the smell of pasta. The aforementioned dish is placed on the kitchen table along with a glass of what she assumes is orange juice. She had never before thought of mixing those two together.

Before taking a seat, she takes a look around. She hadn't realised how much she had missed her place until now.

"Miss Jones you can make eyes with your couch after you've eaten," says Hetty closing the balcony door behind her.

Nell notices that the sky is more blue than black which means that sunrise is just a few hours away.

"I don't make eyes," Nell protests weakly and takes a fork full of pasta.

Hetty lets out a chuckle and replies. "You do more often than you think, Miss Jones. Especially if you're in the same room as Mr Beale."

Nell chockes on her food and after coughing for a ridiculous amount of time, she takes a couple of sips from the glass and only then does she look at Hetty who's now sitting on the chair on the other side of the table, smirking.

"You forget that I was one of the best spies back in the day."

"You still are," Nell says around a mouth full of pasta.

"You flatter me Miss Jones but really anyone with a pair of eyes can see it."

"I was that obvious, huh?" Nell asks toying with the bandage wrapped around her right wrist. She redressed it after her shower. Thankfully, she has a fully stocked first aid kit in her bathroom.

"Both of you. Sometimes your looks could outdo those that Miss Blye and Mr Deeks so frequently share."

"Oh no. Rival, yes but never outdo them. All they've ever done was make eyes at each other and it's about to get worse from now on."

"You're aware of the transition in their relationship?"

"Oh yes. They actually have me to thank about that. The first time they were undercover at the restaurant, I had Eric sing songs that perfectly fit their relationship."

One of the images that her mind crafted about Eric earlier, the one where he lays on top of the piano, his dress shirt a deep red from all the blood that had left his body, suddenly enters her mind and just like that her appetite is replaced by a wave of nausea that she pushes down.

She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths, calming herself down.

Hetty, sensing her struggle, squeezes one of her hands and changes the subject. "Have you talked to your parents lately?"

"I called them yesterday morning. They're all doing good. Mom wanted to know if I can spend Christmas with them this year."

"If we don't get a case around that time, you're free to go. You do deserve some rest and to see your parents after everything that has happened."

"I would love to."

"I can sense a but coming."

"But I don't know if Eric will have made a full recovery by then and I wouldn't want to leave him alone."

"You could take him with you."

"What would I use as an excuse? That he's my new boyfriend."

Hetty doesn't reply as her phone starts ringing. She excuses herself from the table and walks to the living room to take the call.

In the meantime, Nell eats the rest of her pasta and juice because she needs the nutrition and then washes the dishes.

With nothing better to do and with Hetty still on the phone, she goes to her bedroom and lies down on her bed. Her muscles and back welcome the relief that laying down offers but her mind doesn't seem to need rest, even though it's been working non stop for over 24 hours.

On the contrary, her thoughts seem to be on a constant loop and no amount of tossing and turning does anything to stop her thoughts or make sleep pull her under.

She grabs the pill bottle from the night stand and makes her way to the kitchen in search of a glass of water. She didn't take the meds like the doctor told her to because her wrist didn't hurt that much and because she has never been one to turn to pills to dull the pain.

But she's willing to make an exception if it means that she will be able to sleep and forget everything that is happening for a while.

She swallows a couple of pills and then looks around in search of Hetty. The older woman is in the living room, putting on her jacket.

"Miss Jones, I was just about to come to you. Something very important has come up and unfortunately my presence is needed elsewhere. However, you're not going to be alone as Miss Blye and Mr Deeks are already on their way. They'll keep an eye on you."

"I'm a 25 year old woman Hetty. I don't need babysitters."

"Yes you do because you're a grown woman in many levels of emotional pain and I am certain that the moment I'm gone, you'll take a cab to the hospital? I'm not wrong, am I?"

Nell knows that Hetty's right. With no one to watch over her she would have definitely done just that. She sighs and sits on the couch.

"I thought so. Now, why are you not resting like you're supposed to?"

"I tried but sleep won't come."

"I see. I do believe that Miss Blye will be able to help you with that when she arrives."

Hetty is barely done talking when the doorbell rings.

"That's my cue. Take care of yourself Nell and we'll hopefully meet at the hospital," Hetty says giving Nell's thigh a light squeeze and then she's making a beeline for the door.

Nell hears them talking but her brain can't process the words. When the door closes she stands up to greet her "babysitters".

Kensi is first and Nell hugs her. Deeks who's right behind the brunette woman, also pulls her into a hug, this one longer lasting.

"Good to see you Velma," he says when they pull apart.

"Good to see you too Shaggy," she replies and resumes her seat on the couch and motions for the couple to do the same.

"I always wondered, if you're Shaggy and Nell is Velma then who are the rest of us?" asks Kensi once they're settled on the couch, Nell on her left and Deeks on her right, much closer.

"That's easy," Deeks replies, angling his body so that he's face to face with his partner. "You're Dafne because you're the only other girl on the team, Callen is Fred and Sam is Scooby."

"What about Eric and why is Sam Scooby?"

"Sam is Scooby because even though he seems big and scary on the outside, on the inside he's the complete opposite."

"Scooby is not scary."

"But Sam is."

"I'll tell him you said that."

"Please don't do it."

"Why should I listen to you?"

"Because you don't want your boyfriend's face to be smashed, do you?"

"Perhaps I do."

"You don't mean that."

"Perhaps I do."

"You guys are even more annoying now that you are together," Nell says and the couple turns around to look at her.

"And by annoying, you mean adorable."

"No one thinks you're adorable Deeks."

"Maybe no one doesn't, but you do."

"I don't."

"You're lying."

"I most certainly am not."

"You are."

"Guys," Nell half shouts. "Not adorable anymore."

"Sorry," they says in unison.

"Now that on the other hand is adorable."

"Yeah, like when you and Eric finish each other's sentences," says Kensi and chooses to ignore it.

"Speaking of Eric, how have you been?" asks Deeks.

"Sincerely, I don't know. I feel a dozen of emotions and nothing at the same time. It's complicated."

"What isn't?" Deeks murmurs but Nell still manages to hear him.

"Anyway, enough about me. Have you guys gotten any rest?"

"Nell, we're not the ones who were undercover for over a week at a restaurant that happened to be a front for the Italian mob. We aren't also the one who's partner was shot. The question here is, have you gotten any rest?"

Nell lets out a long sigh before replying. "I can't seem to be able to fall asleep anymore. My brain won't shut down."

"Have you taken any meds?" asks Deeks.

"I took some for my hand."

"How about some tea or hot chocolate?" he continues.

"They both contain caffeine so they wouldn't be much help."

"Maybe some chamomile?"

"That would be nice."

"I'll go make that."

"You don't have to," Nell says but Deeks is already at the kitchen by the time she finishes the sentence. He knows where everything in the kitchen is from that one time they had a Scooby-Doo movies marathon.

"I know that you feel guilty about what happened to Eric but you have to know that it's not your fault," Kensi says after a few moments of silence.

"Of course it's my fault Kensi. I'm the one who's supposed to be laying in a hospital bed, not Eric."

"Maybe, but it's Eric who chose to take the bullet. No one forced him."

"I did, by not telling Hetty that him going long time undercover at such a dangerous place with his lack of experience and with only me as backup was a very bad idea."

"That's a valid point but that doesn't mean that any of this is your fault."

"But..."

"Listen," Kensi says and moves closer to Nell. "I know how you feel. I've been there, not once but twice. I know the feeling of helplessness that accompanies you in the hospital's cold waiting room, followed by the fear of losing him. I know that you're blaming yourself for not having his back, like you're supposed to do, because that's what partners do. So I'm telling you to stop all that before it gets worse. Your entire focus should be on helping Eric recover and not on blaming yourself for something that has been done and that you can't change, ok?"

Nell nods in response.

"And I'm back. Miss me?" Deeks asks as he places the mug filled with steaming liquid in front of Nell before resuming his seat on Kensi's right.

"You're here? I had totally forgotten."

"You wound me Kensilina."

"You would feel it if I really wound you."

"Oh, using my expressions against me now, huh?"

"Guys, you're doing it again," Nell says before taking a sip of the chamomile.

"Sorry, we can't help it. How's the chamomile?"

"Good but very hot."

"Just like me."

"'Just like me?' Seriously?" wonders Kensi.

"I know, very cheesy. It just slipped."

"Just slipped?"

Nell smiles at the bickering couple, thankful for the distraction that they're providing.

* * *

**Let's talk about those deleted scenes. Why are they deleted? We need more Densi scenes, NCIS LA people! **

**Also, season 7 spoilers: Sam training Eric how to use a gun (Eric and a gun, just like in my story What I did for love), Mama Deeks and rogue Callen? Sounds like a good season so far. What do you guys think? Let me know.**

**Until next time**

**~F**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello my amazing readers! I can't believe it's the 10th chapter already. There's going to be one more, the epilogue which will hopefully be posted next week.**

**I want to thank all of you for reading and especially 'Divergent 004' for reviewing the last chapter.**

**Special thanks to my beta Quen.**

**So, who else is excited about the season premiere because I am.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS Los Angeles nor its characters.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Nell wakes to the theme song of SpongeBob Squarepants coming from the TV.

For a moment she thinks that she's at her parents house for Christmas and that her nieces are watching cartoons, but then the events of the past day come rushing back and she's left gasping for air.

She abruptly stands up but the sudden motion causes her vision to get blurry and her head to spin.

"Watch it there, turbo," Deeks says and catches her before she hits the glass-topped coffee table.

"I'm ok," she says after she's seated back on the couch. "How long did I sleep?"

"For about two hours," Deeks replies after glancing at his wrist watch.

"How long has it been since we left the hospital?"

"Over three hours, I think."

Nell nods and stands up. "We can go see Eric now. I'm going to get changed and freshen up and then we'll leave."

"Ok," replies Kensi.

It takes Nell exactly 17 minutes to get ready (she was counting) and then they're out the door.

The ride to the hospital, this time around, takes way longer than it should, in Nell's opinion.

(It's only a 45 minute ride, thanks to it being five in the morning, with most of the citizens of Los Angeles being fast asleep.)

To Nell though, it seems like a lifetime.

When they arrive outside the ICU, Hetty, Sam and Callen are already there.

"How have you been?" asks Callen.

"I've been wondering when people are going to stop asking me that," Nell replies.

He chuckles and Nell manages a smile because how often is it that Callen laughs or makes a sound resembling laughter anyway. "Not anytime soon."

Thankfully, the doctor arrives a few minutes later. "Are we expecting anyone else?"

Hetty replies negatively.

"Ok then. Like I said earlier, all of you can see him for a some time but only his immediate family can stay with him until he's discharged."

"His immediately family has not arrived yet," says Hetty.

Nell reminds herself to thank the older woman later, for remembering to contact his family because the thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Then his emergency contact, which is... you Miss Lange," the doctor says looking up from her tablet.

"I'm his girlfriend."

The words are out of Nell's mouth before her mind has had the chance to properly come up with the idea. She could never allow herself to be absent from Eric's side on a technicality.

"Why didn't you mention that earlier Miss?"

Nell search her head for a believable excuse. "We just got together and we... hadn't told our friends yet. Besides, I didn't know that I wouldn't be allowed to stay with him overnight. Can I see him now?"

"Of course," the doctor replies and opens the door. The room is small but has a big window from which Nell can see the sun rising. The sunlight does very little to improve Eric' appearance - on the contrary, it makes him look more dead than alive but in Nell's opinion, the most important thing is that he's still part of this world.

The first thing she does when she reaches his bed is to get a hold of his left hand. It's cold and the skin doesn't feel like the same way it did all the other times they've held hands. Nell's eyes roam over his greasy blond hair, his pale skin and his chapped lips, currently open to accommodate a chest tube, which is pushing air to his lungs.

"He looks pale," says Deeks, obviously trying to break the heavy silence that has filled the entire room.

"You should have seen your own face when you got shot. You looked paler than most of our dead guys," says Kensi.

Nell thinks she hears a slight quiver in Kensi's voice but she dismisses that thought immediately.

"I take offence to that comment Kensilina."

''Good."

"Still, that wound is going to leave one nasty scar," says Deeks.

"Which we will probably never see because Eric doesn't make it a habit of walking around the Mission shirtless," says Callen.

"That was one time and you all know that it wasn't my fault."

"It's still your fault if you lose a bet."

"Gentlemen, I believe it would be better for everyone if you took this argument outside."

Leave it to Hetty to get everyone out of a semi awkward situation that easily.

After Hetty's order, one by one the team members take their exit but not before slightly patting Eric's other hand or one of his feet or simply ordering him to get better soon.

They do the same thing to Nell as well, minus the patting her feet or ordering her to get better soon.

At the end, it's just her, Eric and Hetty. She's thankful for Hetty not asking her any questions because she hasn't made one sound or said anything since she entered the room and she doesn't believe that she can do either of those yet.

Hetty looks at Eric for a long moment, with a strange look on her face that Nell can't decrypt, and then she exits as well, leaving her with an unconscious Eric.

She spends a ridiculous amount of time starring at his steadily rising and falling chest, still trying to convince herself that her best friend, partner and something more, is going to be okay. When that doesn't work, she stands up and hugs him, mindful of his injury and still holding his left hand with her own.

She can feel his even more steady heartbeat beneath her cheek, from where her head lays on his chest. That's when the fact that he's alive sinks in and her body visibly relaxes against his. She stays in that position - half draped across his abdomen, half balancing on her tip toes - for a while, ignoring her protesting back.

* * *

Two days later, the doctors remove him from ventilation and extract his breathing tube. All they can do is wait for him to wake up on his own.

Nell never leaves his side - except for the times when Hetty orders her to go home to catch a few hours of sleep, take a shower and change clothes. She doesn't leave the hospital to eat - usually one of the guys bring her takeout 3 times a day, along with updates on the case.

They're still on the lookout for Morrison but the other people who worked at the restaurant (both associated or not with the Mob) have given up enough valuable information about the illegal business that Morrison ran that they don't have to serve time.

Nell feels somewhat relieved that no one is going to jail, even though she knows that she probably shouldn't.

* * *

Eric and wakes up three days after the Showdown (that's how Deeks calls the day the OP ended and Nell prefers it to calling it "the day Eric was shot")

The guys are scattered around the small room, some sitting and some standing, eating Chinese takeout. They all come by the hospital after the work day is over to check up on Eric and have dinner.

Nell's sitting in her usual spot - the chair on the left side of the bed that Eric's been occupying for the last three days. She's also not paying much attention to the conversation that the group is having, which is why she's the one who hears Eric groan first.

She's about to tell them about it but Eric beats her to it. "C-can you guys... keep it down?"

His voice is low and husky from lack of usage but to Nell it has never sounded sweeter.

Every conversion comes to a halt and their attention shifts to him. A chorus of "hey buddy" erupts and Nell simply throws herself at him, holding onto him for dear life, tears of relief streaming down her face.

She pulls away after a few seconds because she's well aware of the presence of her teammates.

"You scared us all Eric," Callen says in his "boss voice".

"Sorry."

Nell helps Eric into a seated position.

"You should be. What you did was reckless and almost got you killed," continues Sam.

"I'm not planning on getting shot anytime soon. Or never again," he says and drinks some water from a plastic cup that Nell offered him.

"Like you can plan it," Deeks scoffs. "Anyway, we better go now and let you get some rest. We'll come by tomorrow morning."

"Don't let him do anything stupid in the meantime Nell."

"I'll do my best," she replies, wiping away her tears.

The moment the door is closed, Nell's right fist makes contact with Eric's left shoulder and the latter yells in pain.

"What was that for?" he asks while rubbing his aching shoulder.

"For getting in front of a bullet and almost dying."

"He was going to shoot you, I had no other choice."

"Of course you did. You could have shot him instead."

"That was not the first thing that came to my mind."

"It should have been, Eric. Sacrificing yourself is not the solution. It's the stupidest thing to do. You shouldn't have done it."

"It's your fault, you know," says Eric after a few moments of silence.

"How is any of this my fault?" asks Nell. Kensi had somehow managed to convince her that what had happened to Eric had not been entirely her fault and now Eric confirms on her worst fears.

"You entered my life like a hurricane and turned everything upside down. You drove me mad by finishing my sentences and doing everything I did better. You still drive me crazy, but good crazy, and you intrigue me to no end.

"You've become such an important part of my life that when I saw that guy aiming a gun at your chest I knew that I had to do something to prevent him from killing you, because I can't live without you anymore Nell."

Nell is so taken aback by Eric's speech that it takes her a ridiculous amount of time to come up with an answer but it's too late because the next moment, a nurse enters the room.

"What is going on here?''

"Nothing," replies Eric quickly.

"Are you sure?" the nurse asks in disbelief. "Because you BP skyrocketed. You should be resting instead of arguing with the lady. I can call security and have her removed."

"That won't be necessary."

"Are you sure?"

''Absolutely."

"Okay. If you need anything just press the button."

"I will. Thank you nurse."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," Nell apologises as soon as the nurse is gone.

"Don't apologise, I'm fine."

"Did you mean what you said?"

"No."

"No. Yeah. I mean yes."

"Are you sure about that Wolfram?"

Eric smiles at the nickname and nods. Nell stands up from the very uncomfortable chair and hugs him, being mindful of his injured shoulder.

"That's good because I can't live without you either. Oh and if you try anything this stupid ever again, I'll kill you myself."

"I won't. Getting shot hurts a lot," he replies, strocking her hair.

"Promise me?"

"I promise."

* * *

**That was my favorite neric scene so far. Did you guys like it as much as I did? Let me know.**

**Until next time**

**~F**


	11. Chapter 11: Epilogue

**A/N: Hello my wonderful readers. I'm sad to announce that we've reached the end of this story.**

**I hope you enjoyed this journey of Nell and Eric as much as I did and I apologise for the delay in updating the epilogue.**

**The biggest thank you of the universe goes to my friend Quen for planting the idea of this story in my mind, for brainstorming the plot with me and for beta-ing each chapter.**

**A slightly smaller thank you goes to all of you amazing guys who read this story and left feedback. More specifically,** **974lk, TheAlphabetSong, Lighting's Halo, Hoosier65, ncisnewbie, LichMaster701, SavvyCatJ, foxy209, ForeseeAble future, SpritelyShoes, ChinVilla, icantpickgoodusername, Serotonin2501, XoxMountainGirlxoX, mocha mocha doll, TheNericStory, tigerlilies-and-superheroes, Layna Remi, DeadlyPoisons, Abssynthe, as well as Me, Jennie, elsa, Whatsername, darcy and 11 Guests**.

**Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own NCIS Los Angeles or the characters. Just borrowed them for a while.**

**See you all next time!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It takes Eric 35 minutes to walk the entirety of the Mission. He takes his time observing all the Christmas decorations that a couple of his coworkers from the wardrobe department set up.

It's his own little Christmas tradition. It began six months or so after he was employed by Macy, long before any of the members of his current team. He had lost track of time upgrading the system's firewalls and by the time he was done, everyone else was gone, probably on their way to spend the holidays with their loved ones.

Eric had proceeded to give himself a second more thorough tour of their temporary base and then spend almost 5 hours playing online video games on the big screen.

He carried on with the tradition even when Hetty took over and the entire unit was transferred to another building.

Nell had asked him once where he was going to celebrate the holidays.

"I don't celebrate Christmas anymore," he had told her. She didn't ask any questions.

Two years later, Nell kissed him under the mistletoe and convinced him to dress up as an elf, tights and fake ears included.

When she invited him over to her house for a celebratory glass of wine, he confessed that the reason why he hadn't celebrated Christmas in over 20 years was because his mother was killed in a car accident on Christmas Eve.

His stepmother tried to get him and his father to celebrate once but it ended with a ruined dinner and the biggest tantrum Eric had ever thrown. That day transformed his stepmother into the strictest person he knows.

The smell of cookies and his mother's special smile that he only got to see during the holiday season have already begun to fade from his mind. Thank God for homemade videos, that he's been watching every Christmas morning since he left for college. Another Christmas tradition of his.

His trip down memory lane is halted when he spots Nell sitting on the staircase that leads to OPS's centre.

"I thought you had already left."

"My plane doesn't leave for another 3 hours."

"Why so late? You've been so eagerly waiting for this day that I would have expected you to halfway through your flight by now."

"I had one more important thing to do."

"Oh. Something I can help you with?"

Nell doesn't reply. Instead, her small hands reach for his neck, lowering his head as she leans forward. Their lips meet somewhere in the middle, in a kiss resembling the one they shared 2 years prior.

When their lips part, Eric's first reaction is to crane his neck up in search of the mistletoe that he apparently missed earlier.

When he finds nothing but air, he lowers his head and looks at Nell in question. "What was that for?"

"Why do you think?"

"I wouldn't ask you if I knew."

"Why do two people usually kiss?"

"I don't know. For a lot of reasons."

"God, you're impossible sometimes."

Nell leans in for another kiss but Eric takes a step back. "Not that I'm complaining but why do you want to kiss me all of a sudden?"

"Well, let's just say that I got tired of waiting for you to make the first move."

"What move?"

"Why are you playing dumb when you're clearly not?"

"Nell, I don't understand what you're talking about. Did you have one too many egg nogs tonight?"

"It's not the egg nog talking but me."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Will you just let me explain?"

"Of course. I do want you to explain. Go ahead."

Nell sends him a death glare.

"Shutting up now."

Nell takes a deep breath. "Do you remember our conversation at the hospital, after you woke up the first time?"

"Yes..."

"You told me that you can't live without me anymore. Has that changed?"

"No..." He still doesn't know what to make of the situation so he tellls the truth.

"Good. Now, during our last undercover op, you sang a bunch of love songs."

''I did as it was my cover," It's not a lie but it's not the truth either.

"So you're saying that you weren't singing those songs to me?"

"I... ah... no." He's aware that Nell saw right through his lie.

"Then why were you looking at me when you sang?" She more demands than asks.

"Listen Eric," she says before he can come up with a good excuse. "I know that you have feelings for me that are beyond those that two friends feel for each other, and you getting shot made me realise that I feel the same way."

"You do?" He curses at himself for being so quick to ask. Nell is quickly breaking down the walls that took him 2 months to build around his heart.

"I thought I made that clear in the hospital. The question is; do you still feel that way."

"I do." He knows that there's no way to put the lid back onto the can of worms Nell has opened. ('Do you really want to close it?', he hears a tiny voice say inside his head)

"Then why did you distance yourself from me after you recovered? Why don't you want to spend time outside of OPS with me anymore? Do you blame me for getting shot?"

"What? No! Of course not!" he exclaims as he unconsciously gets hold of her shoulders and lightly shakes her, as if this notion will get rid of Nell's belief that he holds her responsible for his shooting. "I never blamed you for getting shot and I never will. None of it was your fault. If you believe that then stop immediately because it's not true."

Nell nodds and Eric reluctantly lets go of her.

"And to answer your question, the reason why I've been so... distant lately is because my shooting confirmed something that I already knew..." he trails off. Maybe telling her that will get her to stop blaming herself.

Nell doesn't ask him what that 'something' is. If he wants to talk to her, he has to do it on his own. She can't force him to.

"Even though I... have feelings for you, I can't act on them because our jobs are very dangerous and one of us could get... killed anytime. I would never be able to move on if something happened to you. You mean... so much to me and I thought that if I stopped spending more time with you than necessary, they would go away but..."

"I feel the same way Eric but I'm willing to take the risk."

"I don't know. I-"

"Doesn't spending as much together in a way that makes us happy, sound better than spending the rest of our lives in fear of losing each other and wondering what could have been? Doesn't it, Eric?"

Nell sounds too desperate, even to her own ears but she couldn't care less. She's tired of pretending that she likes their current situation. She wants more and she knows (hopes) Eric does too.

"You make it sound so easy Nell," he exclaims in desperation as well.

"Hardly anything is easy, let alone love."

Nell's taken aback from her own words. She might have accepted it to herself that she loves Eric but that's different from actually saying it out loud.

If Eric's wide as sausages eyes are any indication, he's surprised as well. She's afraid that she's pushed him too much too soon so she takes a step back. She can't afford to have him push her away, not when they've made some progress.

"How about you think about it and you give me an answer when you've made your decision?"

He nods in response and Nell rises on her toes and kisses him on the cheek. "Don't stay up all night playing video games."

And with that she's exiting the Mission, Eric's eyes boring holes into her back.

* * *

He doesn't stay up all night playing video games. Instead, he jumps into his car and starts driving around Los Angeles.

He doesn't know how long he spends driving, or thinking for that matter.

Thinking about their first meeting, his first undercover mission and how, for some reason, his last thought before passing out was Nell or how his first thought when they went undercover together was of kissing her.

He remembers the relief that overcame him when they rescued her after being held hostage as well as the jealousy he's felt whenever a man has shown interest in Nell, something he knows he has no right to feel.

Lastly, he remembers the night of his shooting, something that he does very often, but this time around he focuses on the rapid exchange of thoughts in his head between the moment he saw a man aiming a gun at Nell, and the moment he decided to jump in front of a bullet to save her.

They went from fear of losing her, to realising he loves her and can't imagine his life without her to regretting not telling her about his feelings.

His thoughts go back to his last conversation with Nell and the fact that she used the word "love", like he did a few seconds earlier.

Then it hits him - he's thought about his feelings towards Nell numerous times but that word had never come up. Until now.

_Could it be because she said it first or because she assured me that she feels the same way? Maybe it's-_

He doesn't get to finish that train of thoughts as a loud horn breakes his bubble and the lights of what appears to be a truck, blind him.

He quickly drives back to his lane from which he had apparently drifted off and then parks his car at the start of the nearest side road.

He smacks his forehead against the steering wheel, causing the honk to go off. He barely hears it over the sound of his rapidly beating heart and short intakes of air.

Only when he's calm again does he come to the realisation that he almost died. Again. But that's not what causes him to turn on the ignition and start driving again - it's the fact that Nell was right once again, he prefers to die knowing that he got to love Nell the way she wanted him to (the way he secretly wants to) instead of spending the rest of his life wondering what if.

* * *

The sound of her cell phone's ring tone pierces through Nell's peaceful sleep.

The clock on the nightstand tells her that she barely got three hours of sleep. She hadn't been able to relax on the plane - her brain had been too busy going over every little detail of the conversation she had with Eric, dreading that she may have pushed him too hard.

And when she arrived, there were just too many relatives to greet so by the time she got to bed, she had been awake for almost 24 hours.

Having located her phone, she swipes a finger across the screen to answer the call and then places it over her ear, not even bothering to check who the caller is.

"H-Hello?"

"Nell, hi," Eric breaths.

"Eric?" Her phone falls from her grip as a result of her surprise but she easily relocates it. "Did something happen? Is everyone okay?"

"Nothing happened but I'm freezing."

"You're freezing? In LA. Eric are you drunk?"

"No, I didn't have any alcohol on the plane even though the flight attendant was very persistent."

"What plane? Eric where are you?" She's worried now because Eric has never sounded this weird and he once wrote on a post-it note that he was in love with her brain and wanted to take it home with him. Just her brain, the rest of her body not included.

"Umm, outside your house."

Nell's out of her bed and looking out her bedroom window before he's completed the sentence.

And there he is, wearing a pair of his customary shorts and a blue hoodie that does nothing to keep the cold that the earlier snowfall left at its wake, from seeping into his bones.

Hanging up, she throws a sweater over her pyjamas, puts on a pair of boots and then she's rushing down the stairs. Most of her relatives left and her immediate family was up waiting for her, so they're all thankfully asleep. The last thing she needs is an audience as she tries to figure out what drove Eric to fly more than a thousand miles to see her.

She buries the hope that blooms inside her stomach when she wonders if he's here to tell her that he's changed his mind, deep down.

"Eric, what are you doing here?" she asks him once they're face to face. She missed him even though it's been less than 12 hours since she last laid eyes on him.

"We need to talk and can we do this inside please cause I'm afraid I'll turn into ice age Captain America if I stand here any longer."

"Oh, yeah, come on," she says and grabs him by the right hand, dragging him inside the house and up her room.

"You were right," he murmurs after Nell has a thick blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

"I'm right about a lot of things. You'll have to be more specific," she says, trying to lighten up the mood as much as she can.

She takes a seat next to him on her bed when he doesn't offer a reply. He runs his left hand through his hair and then shifts lightly on the right so that he's at eye level with her. "What you told me at the Mission. About spending as much time possible together. I realised that the reasons why I didn't want to pursue a relationship with you were stupid and not even real reasons but excuses." He takes both her hands in his own and Nell doesn't complain or even flinch at the coldness of Eric's skin.

"Nell, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Nell is torn between screaming and pinching herself. Because she's definitely dreaming, there's no other possible explanation for her feeling like a part of those cheesy rom-coms that her sister loved to watch. Her mind simply decided to play a cruel with her heart.

But he's sitting next to her, holding her hands and it all seems _oh so real._

"Are you proposing?" Of course she had to say something stupid like that. Maybe Eric's lack of mind to mouth filter has began to rub off on her.

"No?"

No, definitely not a dream. Her imagination could never come up with a such a stupid answer.

"You're not sure if you're proposing or not? I mean, I love you too but I don't wanna rush-"

She's cut off by Eric slanting his lips over hers.

It took him some time to register her words but the moment he did, he let his feelings take over.

"Say it again," he whispers against her lips when he pulls away. He wants to make sure that he heard her correctly.

Nell goes over the sentence that she was saying before Eric interrupted her. "I don't want to rush-"

"Before that."

"I love you," she says again, her lips curling into an enormous smile. It does feel good saying those three little words out loud.

"I love you too," and he kisses her again but this time he puts a little more force into it. That causes them to fall back onto Nell's bed, which breaks their kiss once again.

"I should go," he says, pushing himself up to his forearm, his other hand coming to play with her hair. She's watching him watch her and there's a sparkle in her hazel eyes that he's never seen before.

"Why?"

"How are we going to explain my presence to your family? I want to make a good first impression and sneaking into your room at 9 am."

Leaving is the last thing on his mind at the moment but he knows it's the right thing to do.

"Technically, I let you in. And I know you and my family knows who you are."

"Still, what will we tell them? Oh, I realised that I'm madly in love with your daughter and couldn't wait another second to tell her."

"Really?" She sounds like a little girl whose parents told her that she can get a puppy for her birthday. Eric telling her he loves her is way better than the cutest puppy in the world though.

"Really. I didn't even go home. Just booked a flight from my phone while I was driving to the airport."

"We've talked about you being reckless. You shouldn't be."

"I-"

"Save it for later. I'm too tired to have this argument again," Nell says and pulls the pile of blankets from the foot of the bed to cover herself.

She pats the space next to her few times and Eric seems to get the hint because he stands up and removes his soaked hoodie and shorts before slipping between the covers. Nell moves closer to him and rests her head on his chest, right over his now healed bullet wound. Eric puts his hands around her and squeezes her to his body until she relaxes in his hold.

"I'm here," he murmurs against her forehead before dropping a kiss there.

"But you almost weren't."

She hates herself for ruining the moment with her fears but she can't help herself. This is the first time since their talk at the hospital that he's let her be physically close to him. (A tiny part of her still believes that it's a dream and that Eric will disappear if she doesn't hold into him tight enough.)

"What happened to you being too tired to think, huh?"

"You're cold," she says deciding to change the topic because for once she doesn't have a good comeback.

"Do you want me to leave?"

Nell can tell that Eric's joking but the knowledge does not stop her from snuggling closer to him even though there's no space left between their bodies.

Eric trails one of his hands from the small of Nell's back to cradle the back of her neck until she looks up at him.

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise you." (He never brakes that promise.)

Nell slightly nods her head and whispers a good night against his skin.

"Goodnight Nell."

And when Nell tells her mother, who is the one to find them curled around each other, that Eric's her boyfriend who wanted to surprise her, she means it.

Her parents insist that he stays to celebrate the holidays with them and Eric does so.

* * *

After that, they make new Christmas traditions together. Whether it's all the team members and their families at one of Hetty's houses in North America, trading stories (with the addition of exposing a drug ring once in a while) or getting both their families at Nell's house to celebrate.

* * *

Eric proposes on December 23, in the Mission. He falls on one knee on the exact same spot where Nell kissed him the first two times. He hasn't even said a word when Nell shouts yes. (Maybe it's for the best because the moment his knee touched the floor, he forgot all about his speech as he watched Nell's hazel eyes widen as her brain processed the situation.)

They don't get married during the holiday season (It's a bit too much they decide) but on the second anniversary of Eric's shooting. Nell suggested it. Something about replacing bad memories with good ones.

* * *

They go undercover again and again. Mostly simple jobs, until one time Nell's cover is blown and she almost dies. Eric doesn't remain frightened or angry for too long; Nell's successful surgery is accompanied by the news of her pregnancy that make him feel so happy, he's afraid he's going to grow wings and fly to the sky.

Their daughter is born on December 24 and it's Nell who suggests they name her after his deceased mother.

(He never watches the homemade videos of his mother on Christmas morning again; he spends that day playing with his daughter while Nell records.

"It's your special moment," she replies when he asks her why she doesn't just set up the camera and joins them.

He watches them the following day with his two girls, because he still wants his daughter to get to know his other grandmother. )

* * *

Eric doesn't have an excuse to not celebrate Christmas anymore. (He run out of excuses when Nell kissed him for the second time and told him to get his act together.)

* * *

Eric doesn't celebrate Christmas one time after he and Nell got together; when she's taken away from him at the age of 76. It doesn't take him long to follow his beloved wife and best friend to eternity.

* * *

**That's it you amazing gals and guys. Let me know how much you liked or didn't like this. PM me here or on Tumblr: blog/2-huge-tiva-shippers-and-mary if you got any ideas for neric story and I promise I'll try my best to write them.**

**Hoping that you don't forgot this, me and my friends are taking part in the Fandom writing competition on with our NCIS fanfiction 'Holding On And Letting Go'. **

**It would mean the world to us if you liked the story!**

**Until next time**

**~F**


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